Outdoor Leadership Club lends helping hands to Lauada Cemetery

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect than it was on Thursday, April 22 when a handful of Southwestern Community College students climbed the hill from the Almond campus to Lauada Cemetery to meet members of the cemetery association. The students of the SCC Outdoor Leadership Club were volunteering several hours of time for upkeep of the property.

This was the group’s second round of volunteering at the neighboring cemetery. Last spring, club members dedicated their energy to repairing, repainting and resetting the white wooden crosses in the cemetery. On Thursday, they were moving dirt and leveling settled graves, removing old flower arrangements from the ground to prepare for summer mowing and removing invasive plants.

Lauada Cemetery has a unique history. Originally called TVA Cemetery it was founded in 1943 prior to Tennessee Valley Authority flooding several communities in Graham and Swain County to form Fontana Lake and to power Fontana Dam.

More than 1,000 graves were reinterned to the cemetery from more than 28 cemeteries.

Most of the graves from cemeteries that were above the water line remain on the North Shore, and the National Park Service runs a boat shuttle across the lake to the cemeteries once a year.

Paul Wolf, program director of SCC Outdoor Leadership and Wilderness Therapy, who drives by the cemetery to work each day first noticed the white crosses needed attention. That’s when he made the connection it would be a good opportunity for the students to connect with the campus’ neighbor and the community.

“It’s important for the youth of today to understand the history and sacrifices that were made,” he said. “It’s important to honor that history."

Also, he noted, with many graduates going on to become outdoor leaders in the region, they can help share that knowledge with visitors.

“It wasn’t always the park, it wasn’t always this way,” he noted of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which like Fontana Lake displaced local landowners when it was formed.

In addition to volunteering their labor, the students presented the Lauada Cemetery Association with 100 copies of its cemetery directory. Christine Proctor, association president, said the books sold for $20 help pay for the cemetery maintenance. Mowing is a big expense.

“We used to work hard out here ourselves,” recalls Vivian Cook, cemetery association vice president. “It used to be just a few plots that were mowed and kept up until Troy and Christine (Proctor) decided we’d get this (association) started.”

That was more than 30 years ago when the association was established, and most members are seniors now with reduced ability to do the hard labor themselves.

“It’s gotten to where we have to hire help for the maintenance,” Cook said. “This is a real blessing. We’ve been needing for some time to have some come out and help us,” she added of the student volunteers.

The students were equally if not more enthused about their ability to pitch in and help.

Gabe Wagler, of Angier, N.C., was working on leveling some graves. Between shoveling dirt, he shared what he’s learned. “I learned a lot about the history of this cemetery and the lake and the town being closed. The history around here is awesome and it’s been awesome getting to be a part of it especially when I’m not from here.”

Joseph Marshall, of Greenville, who was filling the next wheelbarrow full of dirt, said volunteering at the cemetery has been a nice opportunity to give back and gain community service hours.

He shared how the students were able to visit the Proctor cemetery on a canoeing trip across the lake. “A lot of this community is tight knit and super close and people are forgetting that there’s a sense of community out there,” he said.

Taylor Horton, who was among those clearing last year’s silk flowers from around the graves, said she too appreciates the sense of community and getting to talk to Proctor and the other members of the cemetery association about the local history.

Kayla Cooper, club vice president, who lives in Stecoah, was thrilled to be a part of the project.

“I personally think it’s extremely important we care about the community about the environment and giving back to our ancestors,” she said.

Makenna Samuel, club president, who is graduating with her associates in applied science in outdoor leadership said she was happy to volunteer and do some good in the community.

Wolf said one of the best aspects of the student project has been seeing the youth connect with the cemetery association members and hear their stories.

“It’s been great seeing the interactions between the students and cemetery association members,” he said, adding it gives the students a richer understanding of place.

Wolf, whose father was a cemetery caretaker for 27 years, knows the important of the work. He has also lived in the Lauada community for 25 years and drives by the cemetery almost daily.

He said it’s important for the Outdoor Leadership program in its 21st year to be a good a neighbor.

His hope is the program can continue to volunteer and help the cemetery association in its effort to maintain the cemetery into the future.

Barbara Fortner, cemetery association member, added the students were a great help. “I’m so glad they’re here to help out, it’s been great,” she said.

Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the 501c3 Lauada Cemetery Association 1166 Franklin Grove Church Road, Bryson City, NC 28713.